Set to 'move forward,' Kyrie returns as Nets roll

NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets defender Kyrie Irving said "he ne'er had a doubt" helium would instrumentality to the squad aft serving an eight-game suspension for "harmful interaction of his conduct" relating to societal media posts astir a publication and movie that contained antisemitic ideas.

Irving, who scored 14 points and grabbed 5 rebounds successful 26 minutes Sunday nighttime arsenic Nets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 127-115, was blessed to beryllium backmost connected the level with his teammates aft missing implicit 2 weeks.

"It felt good," Irving said. "It felt good. I missed my teammates, missed the coaching staff. ... It felt bully to get this crippled retired of the way, present we tin determination guardant with the remainder of the season."

Irving, who apologized again earlier Sunday portion reiterating that helium is "not antisemitic," was asked if helium mightiness record a grievance successful the aboriginal regarding his suspension.

"I got to permission that to my ineligible squad and permission that to the warriors I person astir me," Irving said. "I person immoderate beardown people, men and women astir me, that are going to bash everything imaginable to marque definite that I'm protected, my family's protected, and we support 1 another. So I'm definite immoderate things volition beryllium done successful the future, but there's nary timetable connected that close now."

Irving, who said helium wanted to support the absorption connected the crippled and deflected a fistful of questions regarding off-the-court issues, was asked aft the crippled however helium intends to equilibrium erstwhile to usage his dependable and his level and erstwhile not to.

"I would similar to beryllium connected a level wherever I could openly stock however I consciousness without being harshly criticized, oregon being labeled," Irving said. "Or dealing with extracurricular perceptions that person thing to bash with me."

As fans filed into Barclays Center earlier Sunday's game, they were greeted by dozens of radical from Israel United successful Christ extracurricular the building. Many wrong the radical -- which has been designated a hatred radical by the Southern Poverty Law Center -- handed retired flyers that had "The Truth About Anti-Semitism" and "The Truth astir Slavery" arsenic headlines. Boston Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown retweeted a video of the radical with the caption: "Energy."

Brown aboriginal wrote successful a tweet that helium "was not alert of what circumstantial radical that was extracurricular of Barclay's Center tonight. I was celebrating the unification of our radical welcoming the instrumentality of Kyrie to the court, archetypal glimpse I thought it was a known fraternity the (C/Que's) Omega psi phi (step'n) showing support."

"I deliberation that's a speech for different day," Irving said, erstwhile asked astir the demonstration. "I'm conscionable present to absorption connected the game."

As acold arsenic the game, Nets players and coaches were conscionable blessed to person him backmost connected the level and person the absorption beryllium connected basketball, alternatively of the issues that person swirled astir some Irving and the squad since his suspension connected Nov. 3.

"It's ever bully to conscionable absorption connected the game," Nets guardant Kevin Durant said. "We recognize the circumstances astir our crippled now. Our league is getting bigger, there's truthful overmuch attraction connected it, truthful each small happening mightiness get blown up nowadays truthful arsenic overmuch arsenic we tin conscionable absorption connected playing shot and support increasing arsenic a team, I deliberation our fans tin get down that. I deliberation you guys volition get down that arsenic well. So we conscionable privation to support stacking up bully days, spot what happens."

Nets swingman Ben Simmons summed up however respective of his teammates felt by having Irving back.

"It's Kyrie, he's truthful talented," Simmons said. "Obviously, he's moving connected the grip again, trying to get a consciousness for the ball, but he's truthful talented it's casual to play with him."